Copyright 2001 Boston Herald Inc.

                                The Boston Herald

                      September 23, 2001 Sunday ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: FOOD; Pg. A23

LENGTH: 1024 words

HEADLINE: BEER; Number of Guinness faithful slips in home of the pint

BYLINE: By Kerry J. Byrne

BODY:

    Cab driver Kevin Ross speeds down Wellington Quay along the south bank of
Dublin's River Liffey, past U2's Clarence Hotel in the trendy Temple Bar
neighborhood, and on to one of Ireland's most famous tourist attractions, the
Guinness brewery at St. James's Gate.

    Ross has ferried hundreds of guests to Guinness over the years, but fears
he'll soon make his last trip this way.

    "I reckon this brewery will be gone in five years," says Ross as he guides
his cab westward through Dublin's tangled web of streets and past the
ubiquitous
construction cranes that symbolize the city's unprecedented prosperity. "The
real estate is worth too much."

    Guinness has been a national icon in Ireland, certainly its most heralded
export, for much of its 242-year history. The mammoth brewery occupies 50
riverfront acres and attracts 500,000 visitors annually.

    Guinness's 14-story tour facility is one of the tallest buildings
in the city
and boasts a top-floor pub with 360-degree views of the city, the Irish Sea to
the east, and the Wicklow Mountains to the south. If the wind blows from the
west, the pungent, coffeelike aroma of malts roasted at the brewery can be
smelled in all corners of the city. The country and the brewery even share the
same symbol, a golden harp, the original of which is housed in a museum at
Dublin's Trinity College.

    Despite its stature as a national symbol, Irishmen like Ross fear their
world-famous stout has changed or, at the very least, is losing its Irish
essence.

    "There's no consistency any more," says Ross. "There was always a uniqueness
about Guinness in Dublin. But it's gotten very bad in the past year
and a half."

    A teenager at The Central Bar in Newcastle West, County Limerick, on
Ireland's west coast, once put it more bluntly. Paul O'Donough said
Guinness was
lousy, as his friends nodded in agreement and sipped bottles of Budweiser.

    A division of British conglomerate Diageo PLC, Guinness is a major

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                   The Boston Herald, September 23, 2001 Sunday

international success story. It has breweries in 51 countries (four in Ireland
alone) and its beer is available in 151 nations. The United States is
one of its
fastest growing markets. Brewer Fergal Murray, who worked at Guinness' Nigeria
brewery for three years, says that Guinness is even considered a local beer in
that African nation.

    "We built a brewery there that's become part of their heritage like it is
here in Ireland," says Murray.

    Despite its worldwide growth, Guinness is clearly going through an identity
crisis at home. Consumption of Guinness in Ireland has declined steadily over
the past few years, particularly among young people who think of it as the beer
of a rustic Ireland that is rapidly being erased. American brand Budweiser,
meanwhile, has made big inroads into pubs around the country - its presence
boosted by the fact that Guinness, with its powerful distribution
network, brews
Budweiser for the Irish and British markets.

    The decline in Guinness consumption has helped fuel the rumors that Diageo
will sell Guinness's flagship Dublin brewery. It's a rumor the company flatly
refutes.

    "There are no plans to sell the brewery," Diageo spokeswoman Kathryn
Partridge says. But she does acknowledge the difficulties the brand
is facing at
home, adding "there's a lot happening to turn that around, especially on the
marketing and promotions side."

    A visit to the Dublin brewery certainly makes it seem like it's
here to stay.
In December 2000, Guinness opened a multimillion dollar tour facility in one of
its old buildings, providing visitors with the story behind the origins of
Guinness, the history of its slick advertising campaigns and information about
the ingredients and processes that go into making the world-famous stout. It
does it through an overwhelming sensory experience that has all the subtlety of
a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster.

    The brewery itself underwent a major modernization effort in the mid 1980s
and today is one of the most technically advanced facilities in the world. Its
processes are guided by teams of computer-based brewers using customized
software who follow the flow of beer during the brewing process on wall-sized
control panels.

    While Dubliners insist the beer has changed, brewer Murray says
that's purely
perception.

    "The consistency and the quality of Guinness has never been
better," he says.
The state-of-the-art facility turns Irish barley and barley malt (Guinness uses
10 percent of all the barley produced in Ireland), a blend of American hops,
Wicklow Mountain water and a proprietary yeast into the world-famous Guinness
Stout, to the tune of some 5 million hectoliters per year, supplying all the
draught Guinness for both Ireland and the United States. Guinness even roasts
its own malt to ensure it meets the specifications that will produce the deep
ruby red color and uniquely acrid character of Guinness Stout. (The
color of all
beers is dependent upon the amount of roasted malt used in the mash. Beers that
are darker in color are made with more heavily roasted malts.)

    The entire process moves remarkably quickly by any brewing standard, but

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                   The Boston Herald, September 23, 2001 Sunday

especially for such a large operation. Raw ingredients are ready for the pint
glass in about two weeks.

    Despite the high-tech operation and "analytical parameters" of the beers,
Murray says that "the key analysis is still done by humans." The keg room
includes a small draught set up, where brewers like Murray sample each batch
before it's shipped out of the brewery.

    Though Murray insists the quality of the Guinness is as good as
ever, he does
acknowledge a cultural change that has had an affect on the product's
perception.

    "In the past, people were fine drinking only Guinness. Today, people want
more choice."

    Guinness is certainly helping on that end. Almost every Irish pub offers the
same lineup of beers: Guinness, Harp, Kilkenny, Carlsberg, Smithwick's,
Budweiser and Bass. They all have one thing in common. All are brewed by
Guinness for the Irish market.

    Photo Caption: MY GOODNESS, MY GUINNESS: In the keg room at the brewery,
Fergal Murray tests a freshly poured Guinness for taste before the batch is
shipped out.



LOAD-DATE: September 23, 2001

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